[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Radiolab: What is the most average size thing

[Robert Primak]

 I agree about the second part being of a nonscientific interest. But nonetheless, of some interest, I think. (Not to our group for meeting purposes, of course.)
The first part is interesting from a technology point of view. The engineers in our group are always talking about doing "back of the envelope" estimates of stuff, and that's exactly what this segment was about. As with all such estimates, certain assumptions had to be made.
I was curious about why the idea of the Universe being 10^93 meters across (based on Cosmic Inflation, not the farthest that light has ever traveled) was rejected out of hand. That would have made the estimate orders of magnitude bigger. But the use of the Planck Distance does seem reasonable, because below that size the fabric of space-time seems not to be measurable as a distance.
Interestingly enough, at least a couple of sets of their assumptions led to the same result, but that might have been confirmation bias. 
Too bad this isn't a video, because that would make it more useful for a meeting. But maybe someone in the group who is much better at math than I am might try to develop a slide show based on these estimates, and explain where some of the assumptions may have come from. 
-- Bob Primak 

    On Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 09:05:16 PM EST, Peter Albin via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us> wrote:  
 
 Listen to the first half of this Radiolab podcast (~30 min) to answer 
the question:

"First, after graduating from high school, without a clear plan for what 
to do next, Laura Andrews started asking herself a lot of questions. A 
spiral of big philosophical thoughts that led her to sit down and write 
to us with a question that was… oddly mathematical.  What is the most 
average size thing, if you take into account everything in the universe. 
So, along with mathematician Steven Strogatz, we decided to see if we 
could sit down and, in a friendly throwdown of guesstimates and quick 
calculations, rough out an answer. "

http://www.wnycstudios.org/story/average-show/

If you are curious, the second segment ( specific moment in history when 
the world tried to find the "average" human body) is also interesting, 
though, less scientific!

Peter

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